* The UN General Assembly on Tuesday adopted the UN programme budget for 2026, totalling 3.45 billion USD. The budget largely reflects UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' proposed 15 percent reduction in financial resources and a nearly 19 percent cut in staffing.
* In his 2026 New Year message, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said China has met the targets in its 14th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development, and made solid advances on the new journey of Chinese modernization.
* Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), sent a congratulatory message to the officers and soldiers of the overseas operations units on Wednesday, said the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday.
* India and Pakistan Thursday exchanged a list of their nuclear installations and facilities under an agreement, India's Ministry of External Affairs said. The exchange was carried out through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, according to the ministry.
* The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that an analysis of a Ukrainian drone shot down on Monday over the Novgorod region showed it had been targeting the Russian presidential residence.
* Russia officially launched its International Advanced Development Zones (IADs) in the Far East on Thursday, offering preferential conditions to foreign investors.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is pulling the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the administration.
* Bulgaria joined the eurozone and adopted the euro as its official currency on New Year's Day, becoming the 21st member of the euro area. Throughout January, the Bulgarian lev (BGN) will remain in circulation alongside the euro. However, from Feb. 1, the euro will become the country's sole legal tender.
* Portugal announced Tuesday that it will suspend the use of the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU citizens for three months at Lisbon Airport, citing severe congestion at border control upon passenger arrivals.
* Italy's lower house passed the 2026 budget law on Tuesday, providing the definitive approval for a package worth about 22 billion euros (25.8 billion USD) for next year.
* Around 2.8 million Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, in 2025, according to the country's Ministry of Economy.
* China is willing to work with the European Union (EU) on global climate change, but will firmly take all necessary measures in response to any unfair trade restrictions, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday regarding the EU's newly effective Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
* Singapore recorded stronger-than-expected economic growth of 4.8 percent in 2025 despite global headwinds, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday in his New Year message for 2026.
* Multiple United Nations (UN) humanitarian agencies and international organizations jointly issued a statement on Wednesday, calling on Israel to revoke its ban on the operations of international aid organizations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
* Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday night reaffirmed the government's commitment to national unity, reconciliation, and economic stability following unrest that erupted during the country's general elections on Oct. 29.
* The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said Wednesday that more than 1,500 civilians have been killed in escalating violence in the country's eastern province of South Kivu since early December.
* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is "an inevitable reality," affirming that Palestinians are moving steadily toward freedom and independence.
* The Afghan government has provided financial and other forms of support to more than 600,000 orphans, widows, and people with disabilities across the country over the past year, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Wednesday.
* More than half a million people rallied in Türkiye's largest city Istanbul on New Year's Day to show solidarity with Gaza.
* Israel said Thursday that new regulations banning access of dozens of aid organizations to Gaza and the West Bank had come into force, despite calls by UN agencies and international humanitarian groups to halt the move.
* Türkiye has granted visa-free travel to Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports for tourism and transit, according to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday.
* The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Thursday raised the alert level of Mayon Volcano in Albay province on Luzon island following signs of increased volcanic activity.
